Chapter Three

February 11, 10:15 a.m., Dippy Donuts Shop

The aroma of fresh coffee and sweet donuts nearly brought me to my knees as I stepped into the restaurant. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me pointedly that I still hadn't eaten anything that morning, and that if I didn't remedy this fact soon I would suffer the consequences. I staggered up to the counter and resisted the urge to press my hands and drooling tongue up against the glass display case. Instead, I ordered a coffee and two glazed donuts. Taking my breakfast back to one of the little tables, I wolfed down the first donut in no time flat and was starting on the second when a shadow fell over my table.

I looked up, donut crammed halfway into my mouth, and found myself staring at a pretty young girl in a Dippy Donuts apron. She had on one of those frilly paper hats that looked like a sad caricature of a maid's bonnet. I swallowed hard, setting the remaining half of my donut onto the plate and dabbing at my mouth self-consciously with a napkin. "Yes?"

"Oh! Uh, I didn't mean to just stand here like an idiot," she babbled, putting a hand to her lips. I noticed then that she was a fairly tall girl, with an athletic build. Even the delicate gesture of putting her hand to her mouth couldn't disguise the fact that her hands looked strong, like she played sports or something. Despite this ruggedness, she was still very attractive, and had a shapely figure under that Dippy Donuts uniform. "Did you want any cream or sugar for your coffee?"

"Thank you, yes, please." I slid my cup closer so she could pour in the cream and sugar. What service! She seemed a little distracted and nervous, though. "I suppose things are kind of crazy around here right now with all those police officers in your parking lot, eh?"

I was just making polite conversation, but she almost dropped her milk pitcher on my foot. With a yelped apology, she whipped out a towel and patted my pants leg dry where the cream had splattered, then set about mopping up the floor. "I'm so sorry! It's just... we're all a little on edge here, what with the murder and all." She brushed a few strands of auburn hair out of her face and blinked up at me with huge, glimmering green eyes. "Are...are you a cop?"

Taken aback, I stuttered incoherently for a second. Should I tell her the truth, or would she be more impressed if she thought I was one of the plain-clothes detectives? I decided that truth was best, and showed her my attorney's badge. "Actually, I'm a defense lawyer. I'm investigating this case for the trial tomorrow. Is there anything you can tell me about what happened last night?"

She shook her head quickly-- too quickly, maybe-- and gave me an apologetic look. "Nope, sorry. I wasn't working last night. I don't know anything about it. Is it true a cop was involved?"

"Yes, a local detective." Something occurred to me, and though it was a long shot, I decided to ask anyway. "Do you get a lot of cops in here?"

"Oh yeah, all the time!" She beamed cheerfully. "They're all really nice to me. Especially that Detective Gumsh-- oh!"

"What is it?" The waitress had clapped her hand over her mouth as if she'd been caught saying something wrong. Wrong, or revealing. "Do you know something about Detective Gumshoe?"

"No, no, nothing at all," she stammered. "I-I don't know any detectives, nope."

I narrowed my eyes at her sternly. "Miss-- er, what was your name again?"

"Ah, sorry! It's Ida Baker."

"Miss Baker," I continued, back to being stern, "if you know anything about Detective Gumshoe, you should tell me now! A man's life is at stake here!"

She seemed rather taken aback by that, and almost dropped her milk pitcher again, but I caught it swiftly and set it on the table. "I... Oh, my... I guess..." Chewing her lip, Ida glanced down at her feet and fidgeted with her apron. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision, and looked up to meet my gaze with a determined expression. "All right, I'll tell you everything I know!"

I blinked. "Ah... all right, good. Go ahead, then." If only it were always this easy!

"Detective Gumshoe was in here last night, sitting at this very table," she began. "He looked really upset about something. I asked him what was wrong, and he--"

"Hold it," I interrupted. "How did you see Detective Gumshoe here if you weren't here yourself last night?!"

"Oh! See, that's the thing! I was picking up my paycheck last night. It was Friday yesterday, you see?"

Well, that made sense. "Right, okay. Continue."

"Anyway, I saw the detective looking pretty glum. Since he's one of my regulars, I feel a sort of bond with him, you see? I thought it was his relationship troubles again, but he said it was something else. He told me he was meeting with this reporter woman in a little while. Other than that, he wouldn't tell me anything."

I sighed. Well, nothing useful had come of that, though I was surprised to find out that Detective Gumshoe was actually in a relationship. However, the waitress' previous reaction told me she might have been hiding something else. "Did you notice anything else about the detective? Anything unusual?"

She fidgeted again. "Well..."

"Miss Baker!"

"All right! All right! There was one more thing." Taking a deep breath, she rushed along with her story. "I saw something in his hand. It was a weird... I dunno, some lacey bit of cloth. He must have dropped it under the table when he left, because it was lying on the floor. I picked it up and stuck it in my pocket, then forgot all about it until now."

Fishing around in her apron pocket, she produced the aforementioned lacey item. "Here, you can have it, I guess. I don't think it'll do you any good, but I don't have a use for it."

I examined the item closely. It seemed somehow... familiar. "Thank you, Miss Baker. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

She shook her head. "Nope. That's all I know. I swear it!"

"Thank you again, then. I guess I should get going..."

"Hold it!"

We both swiveled our heads to the source of the outburst. It was Detective Rayne! She must have come in at some point, and had been hiding behind a newspaper at a nearby table. "I've heard enough to take you into questioning, Miss Baker. You're coming with me to the precinct. You're a witness!"

"Oh!" gasped the startled waitress. "But my shift isn't over yet!" She gave me an imploring look, but I could only shrug. I felt sorry for the girl, but what could I do? I was just a defense attorney. I didn't have any sway with the police.

"Good job, Mr. Wright. I would have missed this one without your help," the fierce detective told me, a tight smile pulling at her mouth. It looked almost painful, like she didn't have much practice in smiling.

"Don't mention it," I said weakly. I really wished she hadn't mentioned it. I felt a little like a traitor, with Ima's helpless stare burning into me. "I... I should get going now. Thanks for talking with me earlier." I beat a hasty retreat out of the donut shop, leaving my remaining coffee and half a donut behind. In times like this, you had to cut your losses.

Anyway, I had another lead...

February 11, 11:00 a.m., Head Prosecutor's Office

I knew I had seen that lacey whatchamacallit before. Specifically, I remembered somebody wearing it. My first thought had been a woman's handkerchief or something similar. It made sense, considering that Ima had mentioned Gumshoe in a relationship. However, the item was too long for a handkerchief. It was more like the length of a scarf, or a necktie. A cravat. Only two men I had ever met would wear something so ridiculous, and one of them was already in prison. The other was in this office.

"Intrusive as usual, Wright," chided a voice from behind the door. I jumped. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to just walk into the office without knocking, but the door had been ajar and I hadn't seen anyone inside. What? I was just going to leave a note on his desk! "What do you want?"

Then, I remembered. That voice! I'd heard that voice this very morning... on my phone! "Edgeworth," I greeted, turning around to see the prosecuting attorney himself shutting the door. "It's been awhile."

"Did you come here for idle chatter, Wright, or do you have something important to say?" asked the impatient prosecutor. He had his arms crossed over his chest. I half-expected to see him tap his foot. Sure enough, he was wearing his usual wine-colored coat and a fluffy cravat.

"I do, actually. Edgeworth, why did you call me this morning? Why did you point me to this case?"

"I should think it was obvious, Wright." His scowl was positively menacing. "Gumshoe needs the best defense he can get."

I was taken aback. Flattery, from Edgeworth? Something was very wrong here. "Uh, I... uh, thanks. But why didn't you just say so on the phone? Why all the mystery?"

He glanced to the side, not meeting my gaze. "... You might have laughed at me."

"WHAT?!"

"Admit it, Wright. If I had called you up and begged you to take Di-- Detective Gumshoe on as a client, as a favor to me, you would have laughed in my face and hung up the phone." That bitter scowl was back.

That really hurt, that he could think such a thing of me. Didn't he know me better than that? "Edgeworth... No, Miles... I would have done no such thing."

The surprise and suspicion on his face was almost comical after wearing that sour expression. "You... what?"

"I would have said 'yes'. In a heartbeat." I stepped closer to the prosecutor and put a hand on his shoulder. "We might be rivals in the courtroom, but I'll always think of you as a friend. Detective Gumshoe, too. He's a good guy, he's helped me out a few times, and he's obviously a good friend to you as well. How could I not take up his case, knowing he was innocent?"

It was Edgeworth's turn to look taken aback. He seemed speechless for a moment, turning red and just opening and closing his mouth. Finally, he sputtered, "Foolish as always, Wright. I guess I underestimated your foolhardiness, your naivety, your--"

"--my loyalty? My kindness? My inexhaustible drive for justice?" I grinned at him, hands on my hips. "You can thank me later, Edgeworth. Probably by paying me when I win this case. From what I remember, poor Detective Gumshoe's salary won't cover my fees."

Edgeworth smirked at me. "Fair enough, Wright, but if you were a real friend, you'd do it for free."

I grinned back at him sheepishly and scratched the back of my head. "Well, yeah, but they're going to shut off my electricity at the end of the month, so..."

"You're kidding me. Have you had any cases lately?" He looked astonished.

"No. Haven't taken any in awhile." I shrugged. "Maybe I'm too picky."

He snorted, but somehow made even that seem elegant. "Apparently. Well, was there anything else, or may I get back to work? I have a very important case tomorrow."

"Just one last thing." I held out the cravat to him. "Is this one of yours?"

Edgeworth froze, his face draining of all color. "Where did you get that?" He snatched at it, but I stuffed it back into my pocket. "Give it to me, Wright! You can't possibly have any use for it."

That was what the waitress said, too... It was starting to make me think I would find some use for it. "How did Detective Gumshoe end up with it?"

It was an interesting thing, watching a prosecuting attorney go from oatmeal pale to beet red in aught-point-two-five seconds. "Get. Out," he hissed, wrenching the door open and pointing.

"Does this have anything to do with the murder, Edgeworth? If it does, it could be important! You have to tell me! Detective Gumshoe is depending--"

"OUT!" he roared, shoving me through the doorway and slamming the door shut behind me. I stood in the hallway a moment, stunned. Why would Edgeworth act this way? What was he hiding? Why would he hide something if it would help Detective Gumshoe for me to know it? Didn't he want me to win? Wasn't that why he'd asked me to take the case?

Feeling as though I'd only uncovered more questions than answers, I trudged back home for a shower and a clean change of clothes.